To keep pace with the world, it is necessary to possess a number of skills, including the ability to sell. If you are already engaged in trade, marketing, or you have a business or you plan to build it in the future, you will need these skills. Akio Morita, the founder of Sony, advises to learn how to sell: "We tell our young managers: Don't be afraid to make a mistake. But make sure you don't make the same mistake twice."
It is necessary to draw up a plan of study; following it you will be able to acquire new knowledge and skills for successful work in trade. Do not allow you business to bring only income, let it change you.
1. First you need to learn how to sell, to introduce a product into a market and to talk about its advantages. You must be able to make people say 'yes', and then to provide them with the best service. It is not an easy task. However, the founder of the largest chain of stores Frank Winfield Woolworth managed to improve service by inventing the idea of supermarkets and price tags. This was a shy country boy, who had a stammer. He got a job as a sales assistant in a small shop. Those days it was not accepted to indicate price for goods. Seller estimated buyer’s solvency and told the price arbitrarily. He bargained or left.
But Frank could not talk to people, he was very afraid to entice customers, praise the product and engage in bargaining. Once he fainted from fear and tension during his working shift. The owner punished him; he forced him to sell alone all day. The owner set a condition: if the revenue is less than usually, Frank will be fired. Before opening the store, the young man attached papers with the lowest price to each item. He took out forgotten things of the warehouse, put them on a huge table and attached the sign "Nothing on this table over 5¢." The table was placed near the window so that the range and advertising could be seen from the street.
Everything was ready, would the clients come? They came and bought all goods in a few hours. The daily revenue was equal to the ordinary week revenue. Buyers were not bargaining.
After this Frank resigned himself, borrowed money and opened his own store. In 1919 Woolworth empire had thousands of stores. Frank became a millionaire. He built the New York City's tallest skyscraper of that time - Woolworth building.
2. Entrepreneurs engaged in sales need to learn how to recruit. This allows expanding a business and building a team. The ability to select qualified personnel is a very important skill in the management of any company. Akio Morita says: "I have always made it a point to know our employees, to visit every facility of our company, and to try to meet and know every single employee."
3. Organization of his own and team work has no less importance for the entrepreneur. Some people even have difficulties making own schedule. A trade requires the coordination of many people's efforts. The presence of team is very helpful and often increases the effectiveness of sales. Even if you are just starting to trade, you can make up in quality for what you lack in skill.
Steve Jobs noticed: “My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That's how he sees business: great things in business are never done by one person, they're done by a team of people.”
Akio Morita says: “The most important mission for a Japanese manager is to develop a healthy relationship with his employees, to create a familylike feeling within the corporation, a feeling that employees and managers share the same fate.”
4. Promotion or advertising is a very important skill. You have to constantly offer something special in order to be successful in sales. It is impossible to predict when someone wants to buy your product or to cooperate with you. You must be able to organize advertising campaigns: spring and autumn ones, at the end of the month, and so on.
5. Recognition is a serious tool for success in sales. For some people it is more important to get recognition of their work than even financial reward. In order make members of your team act more independently in some case, you can encourage them by the end of the month or quarter. The costs are low, but the benefits can be significant.
6. Communication is the next essential skill. It allows you to inspire people verbally. This is a remarkable skill. Encourage employees to make them seem the best in their sphere and strive to become more professional. Reassure them that they made a wise decision. People who are engaged in business must, in some sense, learn from the children. What does the word "no" mean to a child? Almost nothing. To succeed in trade, you just need to talk to people every day, making it the right way. Trade is mostly communication.
Although, today people often offer each other goods and services without personal contact, this aspect of communication in the trade still remains. You cannot sell a product just sending a simple guide with a list of everything to your clients. You need to present everything the way to convince a potential buyer that he/she needs this purchase. The art of communication helps you in this case.
All these skills prepare you to move forward in order to meet and overcome the life challenges with dignity. Nowadays, you become vulnerable if you engage only in one kind of activity. Therefore, you should not disregard the opportunity of getting new profession and expanding your horizon.
Otherwise, you will have to temper ambitions. Jim Rohn compares unskilled worker with a man trying to cut down a tree with a hammer. It will take about 30 days. A man, who has necessary skills and put them into practice, is like a lumberjack with an ax. It will take him 30 minutes. This is the efficiency of acquiring skills. Skills have the same value as the trade. It will help you to survive, but skills will make you wealthy.
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